How often do you swear in class? How often do your learners swear? We rarely bring taboo language into ELT, yet psycholinguistic research (Timothy Jay, 2009) suggests the average adult produces 60–90 swearwords a day, often without noticing. Teenagers tend to swear even more frequently & more purposefully, using taboo language as a tool for identity, emotion & peer belonging. I’m grateful to Prof Virve‑Anneli Vihman (University of Tartu) for sharing the Estonian pre‑final version of an article originally published in Horisont -a study that will appear in fuller academic form later this year. The research, conducted by Lindström, Rumm, Pilvik & Vihman, offers a rare, data‑driven look at how Estonian speakers perceive & use taboo language across generations.
The study
The researchers ran a nationwide online survey in February 2020 with almost 1,200 respondents aged 10–81. Participants were asked to report which words they consider “ropp” (taboo/swearwords), how often they swear, how they feel about young people’s swearing & whether English or Russian swearwords feel emotionally stronger. Importantly, the team did not provide definitions of roppus (“swearword/taboo word”) or noored (“young people”). Instead, respondents relied on their own intuitions, allowing the study to capture how Estonian speakers themselves understand taboo language rather than imposing a fixed definition.
The findings
Age was the strongest predictor of swearing frequency. Most respondents under 21 said they swear often or constantly, while only a few over‑50s said the same. Yet across all ages, people avoid swearing with strangers & reserve taboo words for close friends, showing that these words still carry social risk.
Respondents listed taboo words linked to religion, body parts, sexuality, bodily functions, death, animals, substances, nationality & disability. This mirrors cross‑linguistic research: taboo clusters around the body, belief & social boundaries.
Two findings stand out:
- Estonian swearwords feel emotionally stronger than English ones for most respondents, echoing psycholinguistic work showing that L1 carries deeper emotional charge.
- Russian swearwords feel stronger than Estonian for many older respondents, suggesting historical & generational experience shapes emotional perception.
Most respondents -especially older ones- believe young people swear too much. But the authors note that adolescent swearing has always been a way to signal independence, identity & resistance to norms. Teenagers aren’t inventing anything new; they’re participating in a long‑standing linguistic rite of passage.
To illustrate: in English, bloody once felt sharply taboo but is now mild, while damn has softened over time. Meanwhile, identity‑related slurs remain heavily policed. Taboo is cultural, contextual & constantly shifting.
Teacher Takeaways?
- Swearing is rarely just “bad behaviour”: it’s identity work, emotional expression & social positioning.
- Learners may perceive L1 & L2 taboo words differently, which shapes classroom reactions.
- Discussing register, audience & context helps students navigate real‑world communication without moralising.
This study reminds us that language change follows people, not rules. Teenagers often sit at the frontline of that change.
How should we approach language that is labelled taboo when it actually makes up a significant part of our daily discourse?
Leave a Reply